Process for the gravel packing of wells



July 27, 1943. v. J. BEISSINGER PROCESS FOR THE GRAVEL PACKING 0F WELLS Filed Aug. 11, 1941 Patented July 27, 1943 Paoonss non ru n GRAyEneAoKmG 'oF l pa eijfs is agat e igaes, .caumsagtte to .Richfield' Oil Corporation," Los Angeles.

Calitl, a corporation of Delaware A pnrante. August 11, 1941,?Sefia1No. 406,326

lories-.216)

' and thin; down to a :'consiste ncy I whiclrrv {can be j-drainedoif'from the gravel pack.

its preferred embodiment'and 'itsoptimmn use inconnection with wells drilled fo'r the pro duotion of petroleum. The packing rot gravel about the-production strata'of suchwells is well known in the art and no' claim-to the invention ef-such subject matter is maee. This invention specifically relates, however, to new methods and "means for-quickly, fully and economically placing'said grave'l pack in the well and-particularly in theiproducing strata thereof.'-- Another feature of this invention relates to the use, in the step of inserting thegravelinto' the well, of 'a' mixture-off gravel and a relatively thick gelatinous bin der capable of binding the particles of gravel into'a cohesive unitand lubricating the travel downwardly through the well and yet also deteriorating upon the passage of time through the action of bacteria to a thin liduid 'capable of being drained- 01T from the pack; One such gelatinous binder "is well known inthe art under the name Dow Jelly? and reference'i'amade to Grebe and'stoes'ser Patent'No. 1,998,756 fora cc'i'rhplete description thereo- When hereafter used' 'in this specification or in th'ejolaiins, the term gelatinous binderf'will be understood to meana binder having the abovedescribed characteri's'tics 1 .1 By thehse-Qf-said Inixture'of suitably selected gravel and'igelatinous binder, the operator is assured of a gravel pack which will'remain cohesive and which w 1 respond tothe method'ofdepos'it ing hereinafter described.

.' objects and advantages of, this invene tion\wil'1 appear hereinafter; 1

. Theirrvention is illustrated, by wage-same, .i-n the'accomparrying drawing,,in whiohr;

1 a "vertical sectional iview oiyan -oil well showing the application' ofqthe present-in?- ventiomwith parts broken; away for the sake of convenience.

Fig: 2 "is an enlarged-vertical, 'seama1,;shsmatic'view during the process of gravel packing,

- Fig; 31i'sa vertical sectional view-showing the well withthe gravel deposited in the production a f V i I v I m Referring more particularly to the drawing, I have s'hown'the Well :as including a drilling rig ill having -:a"rotar y' machine therein, -the;=rotary head H of which is the only part illustrated.

' tlllhe'well includesa string ofgsurfa-ce or'water pipe I 2 illustrated-as cemented in theholez'in the conventionalmanner as at 13. 1iBy-means ofa ioasingiadapterilll .-a perforated-liner l5extends belowthegsurface string, I12; This:pe'rforatedliner ,is perforatedropposite the production' :area'as at 18. Within the perforated-liner is hunga working string-11.; The working string l during the Another feature of this invention is the elimination of circulation, either of the conventional type or of the reverse circulation type heretofore extensively used in the gravel-packing of oil wells, it being proposed in this invention to deposit the gravel pack in the producing strata of a well by means of a gravity feed supplemented by a rota tion of the working string or casing, thereby securing a slow spiral travel of the gravel pack to its intended position,

It is, therefore, one object of this invention to "deposit-0i, the gravel, is suspended from :the rotary head :I l. Within the, workingfstrin'g H and, .susr- -pended;from the elevator 18 is a tubing' lll pere,

Torated in its lower section as" at. 20' and havings'a shoe 2| :on the lower end thereof. A hopperI-Z is provided. l

' The'n'iethod of clepositingigravel "in'itheiwell is as followsi,

Gravel'istdeposited in easy stages mechan'ically through the annulus between the'tubing l9 and the working string I! by means of a hopper 22.

The working string ll will then be rotated slow? 'ly,'causing the gravel to move downwardly in a slow steady spiral. In order to promote the continuity of the. moving spiral of gravel and in ,order to preservea cohesive integral mass of provide a method and means of depositing a gravel pack in the production strata of an oil well easily, economically and without the necessity of fluid circulation.

It is a further object of this invention to provide said gravel pack with a gelatinous binder which, upon the passing of time, will deteriorate gravel, the gravel before introductioninto the Well is mixed With a relatively thick gelatinous binder. i

The rotation of the workingstring I 'lis continued until the mixture of gravel and gelatinous binder has been worked to the bottom of the well. The working strip H is then pulled slowly upwardly, rotating through a long spiral in two or three foot stages.

and gelatinous binder to emerge from the an- This movement of the Working string I! induces the mixture of gravel nulus between the working string I1 and the in'gthe gravel packing. .1 While the particular forms of the invention herein described are well adapted to carry "out, the objects of the invention, it-is to be undertubing l9 and to fill up around the tubing in the annulus between said tubing and the liner I5, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2.

By the foregoing operation the mixture of gravel and gelatinous binder is spotted in place.

The working string should then be lowered to annulus between the tubing and the working string in said well, slowly rotating said working string during the downward travel of said mixture, and removing said working string.

1 the top of said ,mixture for light tamping in."

order to solidify the gravel pack. g I

Following the foregoing operations, the work= ing string may then be pulled, the tubing flanged up to the casing head 23 and the 'well placed upon production. As is well known in the art,"

the gelatinous binder mixed with the. gravel will deteriorate due to the action ,ofthe bacteria,"

into thefa'nnulus between the tubing and the therein to create a thin enough fluid to be drained from the gravel pack, and to be'recovered from the well along with vthe petroleum produced therefrom, thus leaving a compact gravel packv free from sand, mud, or other contamination and securely spotted in the desired position).

From the foregoingit will-be noted that I have achieved an efiicient andfeconomical method of depositing a gravel pack in" the well withoutthe necessity of either type of-circulation and, therefore, avoid the many well" known disadvantages occurring from theuseof such circulation durstood that various modificationsand changes may be made without departing from the principles of the invention, and the'invention in- 'cludes all such modifications and changes as come within the scope of the appended-claims "I'claim:

The method of depositing a gravel pack in wells comprising the steps of introducing a mixture of gravel and a gelatinous binder intothe 'annulus between the tubing and the working stringin said well, slowly rotating said workingstring-during the downwa'rdtravel' of said mixture, removing said- ;working string, and tamping said mixture to form a; gravel pack. i

' i 2Q The method of depositing a gravel pack in 'we'llscomprising the steps of introducinga mixworkingstring' at the top of said well, allowing Usaid mixture to travel downwardly under the 4; The method of depositing a gravel pack in wells comprising the steps of introducing a mixture of gravel and a gelatinous binder into the annulus between the tubing and the working string insaid well, slowly rotating said working string during-the downward travel of said mix- "ture, removing said working string, and drain- ,ing said gelatinous binder from said gravel.

5. The method of depositing a gravel pack in wells compr'ising the steps of introducing a mixture oftgravel and an organic gelatinous binder Eoppositetheproducing zone in said well, tampture-of gravel and a gelatinous binder into the annulus between the tubing andthe working stringin said well, slowly rotating "said working string during the downward travel of said mix-- ture, removing: said working string, tamping said mixture =.to.form a gravel pack, and'drainingsaid gelatinous binder from said gravel.

. 3. The method of'depositing a gravel pack in wells comprising the steps of introducing :a mixture'jof gravel and a gelatinous binder into the pack opposite theproducing zone in-said well,

v.ing -said working-string upon said gravel pack,

and subsequently removing said working string.

7. The method of depositing a I rWel packin wells comprising the, steps of introducing a mixture of gravel. and an organicgelatinous binder into the annulus between the-tubing and the workingstringat the'top of said vwell, allowing saidmixture to travel downwardly under the force'of gravity in said-annulus to form a pack opposite the producing'zone in said well, subsequently removing saidworking string; and al-- lowing said pack to emerge from the working string and fill, the space surrounding-the lower endof said-tubing. T Y v 8.} The method ofdepositing a gravel packin wellscomprising thesteps of introducinga mixture ofgravel and an organic gelatinous binder into'the-annulus between the tubing and ,the working string at the-top otsaid well, allow ing said, mixture-rte travel downwardly-under the force of gravity in said annulus-tdfionna subsequently removing said working string,,al+ lowing said-pack toemerge from the working .stringand fill the space'surrounding the lower endofsaid tubing, anddraining said gelatinous binder fromisaid pack. v r 1 VIQ OR J. BEISSINGER. 

